March 6/08 3:15 am - Cycling in the News

Effervescent cyclist and former COPE city councillor Fred Bass has always expressed his opinion in a colourful fashion.

For the latest example, witness the Coalition of Progressive ElectorsÃƒÂ±hosted transportation forum February 11 at Our Town Café in Mount Pleasant, where Bass-for once not decked out in full-face bike helmet and Gore-Tex-said it would take "politicians with balls" to implement a transportation plan that incorporates more bicycles out on the roads.

Controversial American cycling team Rock Racing might be about to get even more controversial. Mario Cipollini, who made his comeback with the team at the Tour of California, and may be taking on a management role with Rock Racing, has told Cycle Sport that they are considering hiring Ivan Basso when his ban ends.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency is introducing new testing and storage plans described by a top official as "very significant" measures to be conducted when athletes are competing for spots on the U.S. Olympic team.

Paris, Barcelona, Lyon, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and other metropolitan areas boast successful bike-sharing programs. Paris launched its Vélib' (short for vélo liberté, "bicycle freedom") program in July 2007, and during the recent transit strike in that city, the use of 10,000 shared bikes soared, with demand exceeding supply. New York City created a successful model program last summer, and college campuses from the University of Washington to the University of Wisconsin, Madison have done the same. Plans for bike-sharing systems are on the way in the nation's capital and possibly in Chicago and Arlington, Virginia.

At a panel on cyclist's rights, Bob Mionske, a Portland, Oregon attorney and founder of Bicycle Law, offered a cogent explanation of the obstacles cyclists face when it comes to public perception, police enforcement, and holding motorists accountable for injuring and killing cyclists. "Anti-cyclist bias is endemic in the police, the court system, and the media," he said, then described how bias in each arena reinforces bias in the others.